


Song of the Sea

by astudyinfic



Category: Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: F/F, Happily Ever After, Selkie Isabelle, Swan Maia, Victor dies and it is glorious, asshole Victor
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-22
Updated: 2018-03-22
Packaged: 2019-04-06 14:44:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,591
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14059209
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/astudyinfic/pseuds/astudyinfic
Summary: Every day the beautiful woman comes to look at their pond with longing.  And every day, Maia looks back with a longing of her own.The distance between them seems insurmountable but maybe it isn't as far as either of them thinks.





	Song of the Sea

**Author's Note:**

> Based on [this prompt](http://theroyalprussianarmy.tumblr.com/post/153897882719/roachpatrol-charminglyantiquated-so-if) from Tumblr.

Every day she came down to the pond.  So beautiful. So sad. She wore her sadness like a mantle, a coldness around her in stark contrast to the beauty of the world in which she sat.  

The most beautiful woman Maia ever saw, every day Maia watched her from her place in the flock.  The others told her to stay away, that humans were bad news and that nothing good could ever come from associating with them.  

But something about her drew Maia in.  She would stare at the water in longing and more than anything, Maia wished for this woman to join them.  She wanted to swim with her, to show her the joys of being one in the flock. But fear held her back. This woman, a brown-haired beauty with soulful eyes and the saddest smile, always stood back from the water, watching with barely concealed desire but never making a move to step closer. 

This went on for days.  For weeks. For months. The weather grew colder and soon the flock would leave for warmer climates.  Even with the chill in the air, the woman came every day, to stare and to think. 

“Maia, we are leaving in the morning.  I will need your help,” Luke told her, disappearing back into the flock to tend to the younger ones and make sure everyone was prepared.  Maia looked back over her shoulder. The woman sighed as if she knew the flock would be gone tomorrow. If Maia wanted to do this, now was her chance.

Glancing around and seeing none of the flock watching her, she made her way out of the water to where the woman sat, her feathers molting off as she transformed from swan to woman.  Sitting next to her, she offered a kind smile. “Every day you look out over the water with longing. We have seen how gentle you are with everyone around you. We would welcome you in our pond if you wished to swim with us.” 

“Thank you for the offer,” the woman sighed, her eyes still trained on the water.  “But I cannot go out there for I would surely die.”

Shaking her head, Maia took the woman’s hand in hers.  “My name is Maia and I give you my word that nothing would happen to you while you were with my flock.  What is your name?”

“Isabelle, but my family calls me Izzy.”  Isabelle’s eyes went to their joined hands then up to Maia’s eyes.  “And you cannot guarantee that, no matter how much you might wish to.  For a man has taken my sealskin, and as long as he has it, if I were to return to the water, I would not survive.”

Maia’s eyes narrowed and she thought of all the men she’d seen around the pond, the ones who treated their mates improperly, the ones who thought they could get away with it for being bigger or stronger or meaner.  She hated them and Luke often chastised her for chasing after them if they got too close to a woman who did not deserve their twisted version of love.

She was pulled back to Isabelle’s story when she started to talk once more.  “During the day, I am allowed to roam the city because he knows I will not leave without my skin.  At night, they experiment on me. Aldertree, the man, he runs an Institute. He studies those like me.  He caught me while my brother, his mate and I were sunning ourselves on a quiet beach. My brother and his mate got away.  They’ve tried to come for me but without my skin, I cannot leave. He carries it with him at all times and I fear what he would do if I tried to retrieve it.”

Maia hated this man, this  _ Aldertree _ , even if she’d never met him.  “Could you get this man to come with you to the pond tomorrow?  Ask him to walk with you and explain things you claim to not understand?  If you can get him here, I promise, we will be able to get you home.”

Seeing the hope in Isabelle’s eyes, Maia knew she would talk to Luke as soon as they were done.  “I will go talk to him at once. Thank you, Maia. May the water bless you.”

Isabelle hurried off.  Maia watched her go, waiting until she couldn’t see the selkie anymore before returning to the water.  Explaining the situation to Luke and the flock, they all readily agreed to postpone their migration. This was far more important and one day would not make a big difference.  It was one of the many things Maia loved about this flock. They wouldn’t leave someone behind who deserved their support.

The question was, would Isabelle be able to lure her captor out into the open.  Considering how many months Maia saw her come to the pond, hopefully, he would trust she wasn’t making an escape attempt.  Maybe even think he’d finally won her over. 

Maia smiled to herself when she saw Isabelle approaching, an unpleasant man on her arm.  Isabelle carried herself with poise but Maia could see, even from this distance, how uncomfortable she was with the whole situation.  But soon the beautiful selkie would be free to return to her family. Maia would miss her but knowing that she was safe was reward enough.  Isabelle wouldn’t stay for her, no matter how much Maia might want her to. Surely the pond would only remind her of bad memories.

When they sat on the bench, Maia made her way out of the pond, stepping close enough to hear their voices.  “I like to watch the swans,” Isabelle was saying. “Their beauty and grace captivate me.” Her eyes fell on Maia’s and she smiled, “Particularly that one.”

“How can you tell them apart?  They all look exactly the same,” Aldertree grumbled.  

Izzy just shrugged, “I recognize the soul inside.  The outside isn’t what matters. Maia has a beautiful soul.”  If she were in her other form, Maia knew a blush would be coloring her cheeks.  “Do you want to touch her? She’s usually very docile.” The smallest hint of a smirk pulled at Izzy’s lips as she stood and pulled Victor to Maia.  Maia preened as Izzy’s gentle fingers ran through her feathers, an apology and promise in the simplest of touches. 

Victor, seeing that it appeared safe, reached out to touch Maia as well and that was when Izzy jumped back.  The man - her captor and fiend - was soon lost in a flurry of feathers, wings, and beaks. The flock came after him in mass and there was nowhere he could go to avoid sharp bites from the furious birds.  There was screaming, and while it drew the attention of other people in the park, no one dared interfere. 

As quickly as it started, the birds pulled away, returning to the water as if they did not just leave a man bleeding and dying back on the shore.  Only one swan remained and her feathers fell away as Maia approached him and pulled the magical skin from his coat. Carrying it as if the most precious thing in the world, Maia placed the skin in Izzy’s hands, watching the tears form in the woman’s eyes.  

Isabelle stepped forward, placing a soft kiss on Maia’s lips.  “Thank you, Maia. For everything. I will see you soon.” Then she wrapped the skin around her shoulders and was gone.  Maia stared at the empty space in front of her, touching her lips reverently before turning to return to the water, ignoring the man on the ground, who died without anyone giving him a second glance.

The next day, the flock started their migration.  Usually, Maia looked forward to it every year: a warmer climate, a change of scenery.  But this year, she left half of her heart behind in Central Park and only hoped she would find it again someday. 

Find  _ her _ again someday.

Flying down the coast, the flock settled on the island they wintered at every year.  Maia sighed and shifted to her other form, deciding to lay on the sand and rest for awhile, doing her best not to think about the beautiful selkie who consumed her every thought.  She didn’t know how selkie magic worked, if Izzy would ever return to the city or if she was lost to Maia forever. 

Pulled from her moping by water dripping on her face, Maia opened her eyes to see Izzy leaning over her, smiling like the sun.  “You left. I went back to you but you weren’t there.”

“We migrate.  We stayed one extra day to help you, but we left right after that.”  Unable to stop herself, Maia reached up and cupped Isabelle’s face with her hand.  While before she had been beautiful, now she was radiant, her happiness at being returned home evident written on every inch of her face.  

Izzy leaned in slowly, as she had in the park only a few days before and kissed Maia.  This time, however, it was less hesitant, full of desire and happiness, a promise of more, not a goodbye.  “You stayed behind to save me.” Not a question, just an expression of awe and adoration. 

Threading her hands into Isabelle’s hair, Maia pulled the beautiful selkie down on top of her.  “I’m here for half the year and in the park the other half. You will visit me?”

The smile and kiss she received were answer enough.


End file.
